Papanikolas, Demetrios

Demetrios Papanikolas is the lead trial lawyer for Hanasab & Zolekhian, LLP. He is a skilled plaintiff’s litigator with over 20 years of experience and multiple jury verdicts. His verdicts include a $1,250,000 jury verdict representing the victim of a motorcycle accident. He has recovered millions of dollars for victims of car, truck, motorcycle and slip and fall accident. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum whose membership is limited to those attorneys who have successfully tried a case resulting in a verdict of over $1,000,000.

Mr. Papanikolas received his Bachelor of Arts degree with multiple honors, including Phi Beta Kappa, from Vassar College in New York. He then attended the UCLA School of Law where he was recognized as a Distinguished Advocate in the Moot Court Honors Program.  Mr. Papanikolas began practicing law as a civil litigator at a prominent business and construction law firm in the Los Angeles area.  After a few years of successful practice in the area of construction litigation, Mr. Papanikolas began exclusively representing injured victims in personal injury matters. He gained significant experience representing motorcyclists while working for a prominent motorcycle injury firm, as well as victims of accidents involving truck, auto and slip and fall cases.

In 2001, Mr. Papanikolas began a solo practice exclusively representing the rights of injured clients.  In this capacity he successfully tried several jury trials and additionally achieved monetary recoveries for injured plaintiffs in arbitrations, mediations and settlement conferences. During his legal career, he has won jury trials and successfully settled cases involving significant injuries in Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Joaquin counties.

Since 2001, Mr. Papanikolas has served as a Temporary Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court where he has served in many courthouses including Alhambra, Burbank , East Los Angeles, El Monte, Glendale, Pasadena and West Covina, presiding over a wide range of cases. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Crestview Preparatory School where has served as Board Chair since 2011.